1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a housing for an electronic circuit, e.g., a control unit, and to a method for sealing a housing of an electronic circuit.
2. Description of Related Art
A housing for a transmission control of this type is known in principle in the related art. These housings are typically mounted at a position within the transmission, at which they are permanently surrounded by transmission oil, and are exposed to a wide temperature range, such as from −40° C. to +150° C. To protect the electronic circuits mounted in the housings, it is necessary to develop the housings in such a way that they are able to resist the extreme environmental conditions described, and it is especially required that no diffusion of the oil or its components into the inside of the housing is possible. Plastic or metal parts of the housings, such as the floor plate or the cover, usually resist the environmental conditions described; in particular, they do not permit any diffusion of oil into the interior of the housing; the same applies to sealing measures that are typically used for these purposes.
With regard to sealing, there is, however, a problem with the transitions, or rather the gaps between individual parts of the housing, such as between the cover and the floor plate.
Additional gates of entry for possible diffusion into the interior of the housing may be, for example, the transitions between the surfaces of exposed electrical conductors and their immediate surroundings, when these conductors lead to the contacting of the electronic circuit located in the housing.
Various design attempts are known in the related art which, in each case, try to improve the tightness between the circuit traces and a medium surrounding them. One known possibility provides pressing the conductors into the form of pins, the pins having to have an accurately defined shape at high precision, in order to be able to be sealed from the surrounding medium. One alternative possibility provides surrounding the conductors by an elastic material which takes over the sealing function. However, both design approaches are able to be technically performed and are economically meaningful if only a few conductors are required to make connection of the electronic circuit to the outside of the housing, and the clearances between the conductors are relatively large.